Sin’s primary characteristic

1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. John obviously didn’t want his readers to think that since there was a sin not leading to death that they should take such sin lightly. I don’t know about you, but I so appreciate this verse. First, sin’s characteristic is so clearly stated. All unrighteousness is sin. If an action or word spoken isn’t right in God’s eyes, it is sin. Since God is love, we might also understand unrighteousness as any unloving action or word spoken. Let’s define love again. Love is the sustained direction of the will toward the highest good of another, no matter what the cost, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God. The highest good of any of Adam’s offspring is to glorify God by fulfilling the purpose for which he or she was created. I agree with John Piper when he says, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” Let’s review chapter 3, verse 6. “No one who abides in Him sins.” This gives us further insight into 1 Jo. 5:17. When we abide in Jesus and love with Him, we won’t do any unrighteousness toward our fellow-men. When Jesus loves through us, God is glorified, and we are fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. We are displaying the image of God. That’s an amazing reality or truth. I appreciate this verse for a second reason. If all unrighteousness is sin, I’m so glad that they don’t all lead to eternal death, because I’ve committed many sins. Those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God, have washed their clothes in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil and clothed us in His righteousness. He has given us eternal life. If He has done it for us, His work is available for all who have not committed the sin leading to the second death. So let’s pray with confidence in God’s mercy and great love as we intercede for all those who are unrighteous. He can save them because He has saved us! They too can be rescued, delivered, and transformed to live to love with Jesus. The movement has begun and is still powering its way through history.